Colossians 3:14-16

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.

For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.

And always be thankful.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.

Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives.

Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

In part two of our seven-part series on discovering who we are in Christ, we explore part of Paul's message to the Colossians. Colossae was located in the Roman province of Asia, 11 miles from Laodicea in the Lycus Valley. It laid squarely on the main road from Ephesus heading east. In the fifth century B.C., it was regarded by all as a great city, but by the first century Strabo described it as a third-rate town. The fact that Paul would write this epistle to such a small community suggests the problem at Colossae must have been great. Conventional wisdom says that Paul never saw this church and it was probably planted by one of his co-laborers during his extensive ministry. Epaphras probably led the Colossian Christians to Jesus. He had come to visit Paul to explain that everyone had lost their identity in Christ and there was much discord amongst these new Christians. This situation is not much different than what we experience today in our modern-day churches. I am sure that at some point, most every church listens to, embraces, and preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, that is, like the church at Colossae, how we got to be local New Testament Churches! Often, we lose our individual identity in Christ. We stray away from the Bible and the teachings of God and Jesus, We stop being "spirit-led," and go back to "casting lots." God's church is not a democratic process. The Bible does not call us to "vote" on anything. When Jesus ascended, God sent the Holy Spirit to be our guide in all things. Paul tells us, and the Colossians, that we need to clothe ourselves in love. Why? It is what separates us from other "Gentiles" and what binds us as Christians together. We are to live in peace and be thankful. We are to teach and counsel each other in wisdom and truth. So, who are we in Christ? We are loving, peaceful, thankful, and wise people, both individually and collectively. If you don't feel that way about your life, ask Jesus about it. If the church you attend is always in some kind of turmoil, always asking for money or selling something, and does not appear to have the appropriate amount of thankfulness to God, pray about finding a different place to worship. Finally, look at Paul's solution to being peaceful and thankful. As we discover who we are in Christ and return to being the people He and God want us to be, one thing definitely needs to increase. It is a universal statement for both men and women. It is the subject most talked about in the Bible when we speak about praise and worship. We All Need To Sing More!